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Instead, they are finding a series of small nominees with squeaky voices. Some think the Republican Party’s problem is that its voters have failed to “coalesce” around a single candidate. That is not the problem.

The problem is that there is no candidate around whom Republicans can coalesce. The field is not just weak, it is barren.

The GOP is now the party of woulda, coulda, shoulda. If only this governor had run. If only that person had not dropped out early. If only there had not been so many debates to introduce the candidates to the American people long before the candidates were ready to be introduced.

Today, what ushers forth from the throats of loyal Republicans is not a cheer, but a sigh.

The GOP nominating race has been reduced to four men.

One, Ron Paul, is really running to explain libertarianism to the American people, make it seem more mainstream, less scary and more acceptable when it comes time for his son, Rand Paul, 49, a Republican senator from Kentucky, to run for president.

One, Newt Gingrich, has already exploded in a puff of moon dust, a victim not so much of his ideas, as of his own bitterness and lack of self-discipline.

One, Mitt Romney has burned through an incredible amount of money convincing Republicans he is not really one of them. No matter how many opponents he has plowed under — Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman — a new one has always sprung up.

As a recent Daily Kos blog post neatly summed it up: “Mitt Romney spent $33 million [in January] destroying Newt Gingrich and all he got was Rick Santorum in return.”

Which leaves the Republicans with Rick Santorum atop the polls. And while this has gladdened the hearts of some “true” conservatives, others in the party look at the fall matchup — Rick Santorum vs. Barack Obama — and see a boy going up against a man.

In a long, balanced and very good analysis of Santorum in Sunday’s Washington Post, Dan Balz reports: “Privately, strategists in both parties predict huge problems for Santorum. A GOP strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to be candid, predicted that Santorum would be ‘eviscerated’ by the Democrats in a general election.”

Oh, is that all?

There are the fantasists who think that somebody — Sarah Palin, Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels, Jeb Bush — can ride into the Republican National Convention in Tampa in late August and ride out with the nomination. But that’s not going to happen.

Readers' Comments (90)

To win the republican nomination, any intelligent candidate who knows better is forced to play dumb and ignorant (trumpet the likes of trickle down economics, climate change denial etc.)

OR

They must be legitimately ignorant (Santorum)

After bringing the greatest recession since the Great Depression upon America, GOP policy has been do nothing, know nothing and wilfully obstruct any progress and even threaten the economic recovery where possible. Yeah, real inspiring guys :) You've played your hand and lost. All of them self-serving buffoons to a tea (party).

Should Rick Santorum be the nominee, it is not a case of a 'boy' being up against a 'man' in the Fall general election. It is simply a case of a conservative GOP candidate being up against 90% of the mass media who refuse to ask any serious questions about Barrack Obama's record or fitness for office. try as I might in 2008, I could find no record whatsoever of any substantive accomplishment or serious relevant experience on the part of Obama. Hillary Clinton's reume was even thiner.

Should Rick Santorum be the nominee, it is not a case of a 'boy' being up against a 'man' in the Fall general election. It is simply a case of a conservative GOP candidate being up against 90% of the mass media who refuse to ask any serious questions about Barrack Obama's record or fitness for office. try as I might in 2008, I could find no record whatsoever of any substantive accomplishment or serious relevant experience on the part of Obama. Hillary Clinton's reume was even thiner.

If Santorum can weather the brutal attacks that will come for hundreds of millions in negative ads Romney will throw at him, then he will be pretty much inoculated when Obama taps his billion dollar war chest to destroy him.

The Presidential election is going to come down to people voting for Obama or voting against Obama, the last survivor in the GOP primary has a great chance.

If Mitt ran as himself, he might have a chance. The guy seems to be a decent person, smart, moderate. But he has twisted himself into a pretzel to appeal to Republican primary voters. Not that long ago--2002 to be exact--he actively courted the endorsement of Planned Parenthood, attended their fundraisers, and appointed PP-approved judges. Now he claims that he is "severely conservative" and that he is pro-life.

Is the guy merely a phony, or is he a liar? I doubt that even he knows what he believes any more. Mitt has the kind of backbone you can pass your hand through.

In 2002 Mitt campaigned as a strong supporter of gun control laws, and then signed gun control legislation and appointed gun control-supporting judges. Now he claims that he is and has always been a strong Second Amendment defender. What does Mitt really believe, if he believes anything? Or will he tell people anything to get their vote and then go off on his merry way?

In 2002 Mitt promised the gay community that he would be "a stronger proponent of the gay agenda than Teddy." Now he claims that he opposes gay rights. What kind of person flip flops like this? A man without any core values other than self-promotion.

Mr. Simon, what you're seeing or in you're case not seeing, republican voters do not want to replace a socialist with a socialist, Mr Romney is a socialist ( his record is very clear he's a socialist ). Many republican politicians have went to the dark side and abuse our constitution, where the democrats went long ago.

Many Americans see America taking the road that Greece has taken, Mr Obama has America on a fast track to failure. The Problem the Republican Party leadership has is they want to take us down the same track the democrats are taking us on now.

The Washington District of Criminals ( the politico mafia ) want full control over it's citizens lives like Russia , China etc. Many Americans will not allow it to happen with out a fight. This very day America has no leadership just a bunch of politicians that want to dictate how every American should live, what they can buy, what they can eat, what they can drive, etc.

For we Americans that love our freedom above all things, do not see any one from either party that's willing to lead in this fight for freedom from our corrupted government.

The 2012 election is about freedom or socialism, America stands at the crossroads of Our History as a nation. Will American's fight to stay free or give in to socialist slavery?

With Obama and his allies in the partisan media having a solid record of failure, their only chance to get this inept poseur re-elected is to try to deflect attention from the economic disaster this socialist regime has visited on the country and try to sling mud at the Republican candidates in an attempt to convince the voters that we don't really like any of them.

The truth is that all of the remaining candidates, even Ron Paul, are worlds better than the socialist disaster we have in there now. I don't care who the Republicans run, I'm voting for anyone on the ballot who is not Obama.

Rabid Republicans like to accuse President Obama of being an "empty suit" who needs to "cling to a teleprompter" to appear smart. This is projection: those Republican critics know they, if put in the Oval Office, truly would be empty suits who would need to cling to a telepromter feeding them words others have written in order to appear smart. But, deep down, they know that isn't true of Barrack Obama. Despite (and because of) all their scoffing at President Obama, they know he is a towering man of great substance who can masterfully analyze and articulate any problem we face, judiciously weigh the pros and cons of all the possible options and make a persuasive, rational case for the best choice we have. All Republicans, on an animal level, know Obama has a gravity and charisma that none of their candidates can match. It is because Republicans know how great Obama is that they become desperate when they realistically imagine this Republican candidate or that Republican candidate going head-to-head against him. The deepening despair of Republicans is the result of knowing we have a thoroughbred president and they have only nags to put in the race against him.

A GOP strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to be candid, predicted that Santorum would be ‘eviscerated’ by the Democrats in a general election.”

Roger, this wouldn't be the same guy who ran McCain's campaign and talked trash about Sarah Palin, would it? Because if it is, well, he doesn't have much credibility. And all this talk about how unbeatable Obama is, with his powerful money machine doesn't seem very credible.

And those backwoods tea party types, they seem to have just drifted away. NOT. They don't need to be bussed into rallies and cheer some rhymin', jivin', simple talkin' fool, that tells them how to vote. They came out once, in 2010 and went back home. Most probably went back to work. They'll be back in about 8 1/2 months. Wouldn't at all surprised if they vote for their candidate, just like Samuel L. Jackson voted for his.

Coming from a Chicago based columnist....I wouldn't expect less than this. You have one thing correct: Obama is an extremely weak candidate - but when the right does wrap itself around a single candidate, whether they were or were not an individual first choice for president - they will do so together.

That's the difference between this election and the last - last election, all of the pandered-to focus groups came together to vote for one person that fed them all what they wanted to hear and in return, delivered on almost nothing - whereas this election is about the country coming together as a whole COUNTRY instead of individual groups (which are the only things that keep democrats in business of reelection).

When it comes time to vote - democrats have already missed the boat - it's not about Romney or Santorum or Gingrich - no one has found that "perfect" candidate to encompass because every Republican knows there is NO such thing. Just because Dems were dumb enough to believe in a God-like president doesn't mean that Republicans do. Democrats vote on the President based upon what or how much money he promises to deliver to them - on that basis, of course his following would be large. Republicans all together have a different mentality: it takes a lot to stand up against a financially incompetent president that throws money at his constituents - instead of solutions.

This election will have NOTHING to do with the individual candidate running against BHO. It will have to do with the percentage of people that want ANYONE other than a returning weak and perpetually incompetent president.

In Summation: I don't think it will be Santorum - I don't think it will be Obama. In the end - anyone opposed to the President (which is around half or more of the country depending on which liberal pole you're reading) will vote for the one person that can remove Obama - it's Romney. He will win this and I can say that as a non-Romney supporter. Is he any more of a "potentially" better President? Maybe and maybe not - but he's not Obama - and is this election, I truly believe that's all that matters.

To win the republican nomination, any intelligent candidate who knows better is forced to play dumb and ignorant (trumpet the likes of trickle down economics, climate change denial etc.)

OR

They must be legitimately ignorant (Santorum)

After bringing the greatest recession since the Great Depression upon America, GOP policy has been do nothing, know nothing and wilfully obstruct any progress and even threaten the economic recovery where possible. Yeah, real inspiring guys :) You've played your hand and lost. All of them self-serving buffoons to a tea (party).

Serves them right for such a colossal misreading of the 2010 elections! Santorum, bless him, is going to turn into Goldwarer Redivivus, if he actually gets past Romney, who in turn might change back into some other reincarnation if he thinks there's a vote in it. As an Independent who once voted for Reagan - get real, take those blinkers off! is my message to the Mahoots atop a tottering and increasingly irrelevant elephant.

"All Republicans, on an animal level, know Obama has a gravity and charisma that none of their candidates can match. It is because Republicans know how great Obama is that they become desperate when they realistically imagine this Republican candidate or that Republican candidate going head-to-head against him. The deepening despair of Republicans is the result of knowing we have a thoroughbred president and they have only nags to put in the race against him." - Roameo

Obviously the current crop of candidates such as "the trees are the right height" Romney and Rick "let's get back to the days of barefoot and pregnant" Santorum are the best candidates EVER, and this is just another liberal media attempt to undermine the FINEST FIELD OF GOP CANDIDATES EVER PUT BEFORE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC!

Yes, obviously they are amazing candidates and President Obama is afraid, very afraid.

For we Americans that love our freedom above all things, do not see any one from either party that's willing to lead in this fight for freedom from our corrupted government

All this talk about "freedom" but I have a difficult time trying to figure out how your freedom is being at all hampered - can you explain to us just what freedom you feel you have lost today that you had 10 years ago?

In Summation: I don't think it will be Santorum - I don't think it will be Obama. In the end - anyone opposed to the President (which is around half or more of the country depending on which liberal pole you're reading) will vote for the one person that can remove Obama - it's Romney. He will win this and I can say that as a non-Romney supporter. Is he any more of a "potentially" better President? Maybe and maybe not - but he's not Obama - and is this election, I truly believe that's all that matters

Allow me to "sum up" your summation.

You seem to believe that because YOU don't like Obama no one else does either and that my friend is the fallacy of your comment.

Many Americans see America taking the road that Greece has taken, Mr Obama has America on a fast track to failure. The Problem the Republican Party leadership has is they want to take us down the same track the democrats are taking us on now.

That is a right wing comparison that is baseless!

I think they call it a SCARE TATIC and indeed, that is why they use it. (The GOP always does better when their constitugency is SCARED).

The truth is that all of the remaining candidates, even Ron Paul, are worlds better than the socialist disaster we have in there now.

How about a little "IN MY HUMBLE OPINION" - because what you've said is far from being "the truth" - it is in fact, nothing more than your OPINION - which I can assure you is of value to no one other than yourself and you are free to express it but please don't try to confuse what is your OPINION with what is the "TRUTH".

To win the republican nomination, any intelligent candidate who knows better is forced to play dumb and ignorant (trumpet the likes of trickle down economics, climate change denial etc.)

OR

They must be legitimately ignorant (Santorum)

You are absolutely correct. The Republicans have to say such crazy things and take such insane positions in order to win their nomination, until they turn off too many voters. Flip Flop Mitt has twisted himself into a complete mess by trying to run from his true moderate position to a "severely" conservative position. As stated in post #5, is Romney a phoney or is he a liar? No one truly knows what he believes anymore, not even him. Obama will hammer him with his past, playing over and over and over all of those video tapes of Flip Flop Mitt espousing liberal positions (abortion rights, gay rights, gun control) as compared to what he is saying today. And as poor of a job as Flip Flop Mitt does trying to explain things, he will twist himself into an even bigger mess. It won't be pretty.

"All Republicans, on an animal level, know Obama has a gravity and charisma that none of their candidates can match. It is because Republicans know how great Obama is that they become desperate when they realistically imagine this Republican candidate or that Republican candidate going head-to-head against him. The deepening despair of Republicans is the result of knowing we have a thoroughbred president and they have only nags to put in the race against him." - Roameo